Chery argues shared infrastructure makes its newest Australian brand, Lepas, a low-risk bet

Chery is about to add Lepas as its third newly created brand in Australia within a single year, and local management insists the price of doing so is tempered by the group's existing machinery. Lepas will get its own standalone retail network, but back-office functions will be shared with the group's other marques, and a number of current dealers will also serve as service points.

Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said the new brand's survival now hinges only on the customer-facing question of whether it can draw buyers, since support systems would exist regardless. He compared the added complexity to rival brands that sell dozens of low-volume variants, and confirmed Lepas will target mainstream segments rather than premium territory — its L4 EV will overlap with the Chery E5 and Jaecoo J5 EV. The dealer network is slated to reach 50 sites by the end of 2027.

By the close of next year, the group's Australian stable will number six brands: Chery, Omoda Jaecoo, Lepas, iCaur, Jetour and Freelander. Some exist purely for export — the Jaecoo J8 and Omoda 9 are sold at home as the Chery Tiggo 9 and Exeed EX6 — while the domestic Chinese portfolio runs further still, spanning Exeed, the Huawei-linked Luxeed, and a recently revived Rely marque, whose earlier shutdown alongside Riich under a former 'One Chery' plan has since been abandoned.